Gaseous pollutants  Major pollutant emission  Sulphur dioxide (SO2)  Nitrogen oxides (NOX)  Ozone (o3)  Carbon monoxide (CO)  Hydrocarbons (HC)  Particulate matter  Lead  Nickel  Cadmium  Mercury  Asbestos  Effect on Environment  Other Effects

2. Effect of pollutants, human health and possible genetic
effects.
Gaseous pollutants
Major pollutant emission
Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Nitrogen oxides (NOX)
Ozone (o3)
Carbon monoxide (CO)
Hydrocarbons (HC)
Particulate matter
Lead
Nickel
Cadmium
Mercury
Asbestos
Effect on Environment
Other Effects
.

3. 1. EFFECTOFPOLLUTANTS,
HUMANHEALTHAND
POSSIBLEGENETIC
EFFECTS.

4. of gaseous pollutants
system depends
period ofexposure,
on the
on the
and the
The effects
respiratory
concentration,
solubility.
Highly soluble gases such as sulphur dioxide are
absorbed on the upper part of the respiratory
system whereas relatively insoluble gases like CO,
ozone penetrate deep and reach the alveoli of the
lungs.
Some of the adverse effects of these pollutants are
prevention of oxygen transfer to blood, eye
irritation, etc.

6. 1991
(103 tonnes)
2005
(estimated)
Carbon monoxide 243 600
Hydrocarbons 82 198
Nitrogen oxide 139 330
Sulphur dioxide 10 23
Suspended particulate
matter
19 44

8. It is a colourless gas with a sharp pungent
smell produced by volcanoes and in
various industrial processes.
The primary threat of SO2 to urban
atmosphere may arises not from SO2 itself
but from the changes it undergoes in the
atmosphere, such as the formation of
H2SO4 and sulphate aerosols.

9. Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Causes acid rain
o Corrosion to metals
o Damage to agriculture
ii) Human health
o It causes cardiac disease
o Respiratory disease likeAsthma
o Eye irritation
o Throat trouble

10. NOx are emitted as nitrogen oxide which is
rapidly oxidized to more toxic nitrogen
dioxide (NO2).
NO2 is colourless, odorless gas present in
atmosphere.
Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Precursor of ozone formed in the
troposphere

11. ii) Human health
o Irritation to nose and throat
o It leads to irritation of eyes and even lung
blocking
o Respiratory illness among children has
been reported in areas containing high
NO2.

12. Ozone is a pale blue gas, soluble in water
and non-polar solvent with specific sharp
odor.
Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Ozone causes crack in car tires
o Ozone present in upper troposphere acts as
greenhouse gas

13. ii) Human health
o Aggravation of asthma
o Inflammation and damage to lungs

14. It is also called as carbonous oxide, it is a
colorless, odorless and tasteless gas which
is slightly lighter then air.
Effect on:
i) Environment and property
o Causes global warming

15. ii) Human health
o It causes headache, visual difficulty, paralysis
and even death in human beings.
o Persons with heart disease are sensitive to
CO poisoning and may experience chest
pain.
o CO enters the bloodstream through lungs
and combines with hemoglobin forms
carboxyhemoglobin. This condition is known
as anoxemia, which inhibits blood’s oxygen
carrying capacity to organs and tissues.

16. The major hydrocarbons in air are CH4,
ethane, toluene, acetylene, propane,
isobutane etc.
Aromatic hydrocarbons are more reactive
then aliphatic ones and causes eye irritation.
Aliphatic hydrocarbons produce undesirable
effects at concentration 102 to103 times
higher than those usually found in the
atmosphere.
Hydrocarbons undergoes chemical reaction
in presence of sunlight and nitrogen oxide

17. Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Cracking of rubber
o Extensive damage to plant life
ii) Human health
o Hydrocarbons reacts with
produce photo chemically
substances
forming
photochemical smog which results in
reduced visibility, irritation to eyes and lungs.

18. Air born particles smaller than 2.5 µm called
fine particles.
Composed mainly of carbonaceous
materials, inorganic compounds and trace
metal compounds.
Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Fly ash reduces pH balance and portability of
water
o Particulates accelerate corrosion of metals

20. o Causes damage to buildings, sculpture and
paints
ii) Human health
o Decreases lung function
o Chronic bronchitis
o Premature death in people with heart or lung
disease

21. Lead is a bright silvery soft, dense, ductile,
highly malleable, bluish-white metal that has
poor electrical conductivity heavy metal and
highly resistant to corrosion.
Effect of lead are: i) causes blood disorders
like anemia increase in blood pressure
ii) Pb is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream
and cause adverse effects on central
immunenervous system, kidney, and
system.

22. iii)Growing nervous system of young children
are particularly vulnerable.
iv)Prolonged exposure can cause damage to
the digestive problems, and in some cases
cause cancer.
The body maintains about 15-25 µg of lead per
100g of whole blood. The body responds to
any increase in lead intake by excreting it in
the urine as much as possible and remaining
is stored primarily in the bones. Thus
production of hemoglobin is impaired
resulting in oxygen starvation and anemia.

23. Nickel is a silvery-white lustrous corrosion
resistant metal with a slight golden in shade.
Effect of this are: i) Nickel sulfide fume and
dust is believed to be carcinogenic.
ii)Within the lungs the carbonyl complex
breaks down and deposits finely divided
nickel, which may be main cause of cancer in
the lungs.
iii)Nickel carbonyl cause changes in the alveoli
of lungs, resulting in respiratory damage
symptoms.

24. The natural cadmium levels in air vary from
0.002 µg/m3 to 0.3 µg/m3.
Cadmium inhibits the performance of certain
enzymes thereby producing hypertension in
humans.
Exposure to fumes or oxides of cadmium is
known to cause cardiovascular disease.
Cadmium can interfere with zinc and copper
metabolism in body.

25. It has a very long biological half-life and,
therefore tends to accumulate in the human
body.
Some of the chronic effect are kidney and
liver damage and even death.

26. Mercury is present in gaseous form in the
atmosphere because of its relatively high
vapour pressure.
The physiological effects of mercury
poisoning include neurological damage,
chromosomal aberrations and even death.
Methyl mercury can penetrate the membranes
separating the bloodstream from the brain,
causing injury to cerebellum and the cortex.
The effects are blurring of vision and
numbness.

27. Inhalation of asbestos dust or fibers can cause
a disabling lung disease known as
asbestosis. The disease is characterised by
shortness of breath.
Asbestos has also been implicated in lung
cancer.
Asbestos in atmosphere comes from many
uses of asbestos products which include
insulating materials, asbestos cement, etc.

29. The most obvious damage caused by air
pollutants to vegetation occurs in the leaf
structure.
Plugging of stomata may occur, resulting in
plant damage.
Chemicals such as arsenic and fluorides
when deposits on the leaves can poison
animals.
The adverse effects range from reduction in
growth rate to death of the plant.

31. Pollutant Level (ppm) and
exposure
Effects
SO2 0.3 to 0.5 for several days Bleached spots, chronic
injury to spinach and other
leafy vegetables
NO2 0.5 for 10-12 days Suppressed growth of
tomatoes
Ozone 0.03 for 8 hours Fleck on upper surface of
leaves
Peroxyacetyl nitrate 0.01 to 0.05 for few hours Glazing or bronzing of
underside of leaf, damage
to sensitive plants

32. 1. Environment Degradation : Environment
is the first casualty for increase in pollution
weather in air or water. The increase in the
amount of CO2 in the atmosphere leads to
smog which can restrict sunlight from
reaching the earth. Thus, preventing plants
in the process of photosynthesis. Gases like
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide can cause
acid rain. Water pollution in terms of Oil spill
may lead to death of several wildlife species.

33. 2. Global Warming : The emission of
greenhouse gases particularly CO2 is leading
to global warming. Every other day new
industries are being set up, new vehicles
come on roads and trees are cut to make
way for new homes. All of them, in direct or
indirect way lead to increase in CO2 in the
environment. The increase in CO2 leads to
melting of polar ice caps which increases the
sea level and pose danger for the people
living near coastal areas.

34. 3. Ozone Layer Depletion: Ozone layer is
the thin shield high up in the sky that stops
ultra violet rays from reaching the earth. As a
result of human activities, chemicals, such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were released it
to the atmosphere which contributed to the
depletion of ozone layer.